Georgia Frees Pregnant Woman From England Courier Of 12 Kg Of Marijuana From Thailand

UNSPLASH ILLUSTRATION

JAKARTA - Bella Culley, a young British girl who was pregnant and imprisoned in Georgia for smuggling marijuana and hashish from Thailand, was released on Monday.

Culley's release was based on a defense agreement that sentenced him to nearly six months in prison.

Collaborating with her mother and lawyers outside the court building moments after being released, Culley, 19, said she did not expect to be released, and felt "happy and relieved" to hear the verdict.

Culley, from Billingham in northeastern England, was sentenced to five months and 24 days in prison that he had previously served in the South Kaupas country, where he was arrested at the airport upon arrival in May after disappearing in Thailand.

He also paid a fine of 500,000 runs ($187,000).

Georgia prosecutors said Culley was carrying 12 kg (26 pounds) of marijuana and 2 kg of hashish in his suitcase.

He and his defense team claimed to have been tortured in Thailand and were forced to carry the drugs.

Culley, who was eight months pregnant, initially pleaded not guilty at a July hearing on possession and illegal drug trafficking.

The case prosecutor, Vakhtang Tsalughelashvili, said the authorities had adjusted their defense agreement after considering his youth and pregnancy.

"We are very grateful because they are considering Bella's financial situation and condition," Culley's lawyer, Malkhaz Salakaia, told reporters.

This decision is the culmination of the prestigious trial that brought Culley and her family to the public when Tbilisi was tightening penalties for drug-related offenses.

Drug smuggling can be sentenced to up to 20 years in Georgia. Earlier this year, the government approved amendments that increased sentences for those who consumed and had a small number of narcotics.